Salt is one of the oldest traditional industries in Goa. History tells us of the importance of salt, along with rice, in Goa in the seventeenth century (De Souza, 1990:82). Goa is also believed to have been a major exporter of salt -- exporting it to Thailand, Burma and some African countries in past centuries and dominating part of the Asian market with its salt exports around 1855 (Goaenvis 2013).
Currently, the salt industry is in a state of collapse. It needs serious attention from academicians, policy makers and politicians. Out of the 20 traditional salt producing villages of Goa, only 11 villages produce salt in Goa today. This in turn has affected or led to the displacement of the salt makers engaged in the traditional occupation.
Report from a book release. July 21, 2013. Panjim, Goa.